;230 Earthquakes in Sicily, 



teen days, it suffered the most severe and unremitted shocks* 

 For some months in 1724 the earth was so frequently and 

 violently agitated that all the inhabitants fled into the coun- 

 try. In September 1726, all the western part of Sicily was 

 shaken with the greatest severity ; and in Palermo at that 

 time many lives were lost, and many edifices destroyed ; in 

 June of 1740, Siracca felt twenty-two shocks, with injury 

 to buildings and loss of lives ; that of the 23th was of such 

 immense force, that it extended as far as Palermo. After 

 the middle of December 1816, the inhabitants heard extra- 

 ordinary rumblings under the mountain, and in January of 

 the succeeding year, the shocks were so frequent, that twelve 

 were sometimes counted in one day. and so violent, that it 

 seemed that the foundations of buildings must be rooted up — 

 the rumblings and explosions under the mountain became 

 fearfully loud — and the sea dashed in great waves against the 

 shore at its foot. Sambuca, fifteen miles distant, suffered 

 much injury. A strong odour of sulphur pervaded the air all 

 about Sciacca. While nature v/as in this agitation in the 

 western part of the island, the eastern was enjoying perfect 

 quiet. Over against Sciacca at the distance of seventy 

 miles, Pentellaria rises from the sea, and presents the same 

 phenomena : an island of lava, and other burnt matter, and 

 streams of heated vapour of water, and of sulphur issuing 

 incessantly from its cavities, show a great fermentation in the 

 deep caverns under the sea, and to which little is wanting to 

 renew its ancient conflagrations. Off the northern coast of 

 Sicily, is situated a chain of islands extending from east to 

 west, and terminating with Ustica at the distance of forty- 

 two miles from the western shore of Palermo. All of these 

 islands, sons of volcanic fire, which has raised them from 

 under the depths of the sea, bear the impressions of the ter- 

 rible element; and some are still burning, and serve as out- 

 lets to the subterranean furnaces. Vulcano, twenty-two 

 miles from Cape Milazzo, burns, roars, thunders, and belches 

 Out continually immense columns of smoke and flame. 

 Stromboli ceases not a moment in vomiting forth smoke, 

 flame, and streams of vapour, which, rushing from the in- 

 flamed mouth, produce a horrible roaring, spreading terror 

 among all the Eolian islands and the adjacent coasts of Sicily 

 and Calabria. Lipari still preserves in its baths, a part of 

 that heat which one day fused into glass the matter of which 

 it is formed. The action of these islands has almost always 



